Reading Henry James

Subscribers to the Library of America, whose volumes I’m using in my readings of Henry James, get a subscription customization form every year in the Spring. This form lists the new volumes for the coming year (publishing year: from the fall of the current year through the summer of the next), and subscribers are invited to choose which books they wish to receive.

I was happy, this morning, to get the latest form in the mail, and to see that the final volume of Henry’s fiction will be published in the coming year. Novels 1903-1911 will feature The Ambassadors, The Golden Bowl, The Outcry, and The Married Son, a chapter that Henry contributed to a multi-author novel conceived by William Dean Howells called The Whole Family. This will be the eleventh volume of fiction from Henry published by the Library of America, and the 15th volume of his works.

It may not be the last, because I was told by the Library of America that they were considering a couple of volumes of other works: there are plays, letters, notebooks and more that they could publish.

Other highlights in the coming year from the Library of America include another volume in their series of Philip Roth’s works, two volumes by H. L. Mencken, and the first in a series of books about the Civil War, collecting speeches, diaries, letters, published reports and more. There will be one a year as we “celebrate” the 150th anniversary of this Great American Conflict.

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Published in 2007, this second volume of Sheldon Novick’s biography of James is, oddly, out of print already (though used copies are available cheaply from Amazon). The first volume, Henry James: The Young Master, is available in paperback, and I assume that the second will soon be released in paperback as well.

I had planned to write a review of this book, being the biggest Henry James bio since Edel’s famous five-volume set. Yet for some reason, I’ve had trouble getting through this book. I still haven’t finished it, and it languishes on a pile of unfinished books, most likely because it’s just not that interesting. While I did read the first volume with some pleasure, I can’t put my finger on what is keeping me from finishing this book.

I’d be curious to know if others have read this book, and, if so, what they think of it. It’s unlike me to not “get through” a book about Henry James, and in most cases I just whiz through them. But this one just doesn’t work for me.

Any thoughts?

One reason it took me a while to get started on my Reading Henry James project was that I got a bit tied up in another reading “binge”. I live in France, and there was a lot of to-do about the 50th anniversary of Albert Camus’ death, which was on January 4th. Camus was a huge influence on me when I was in my early twenties, and I read most of his major works in English (I lived in New York City at the time). So the event prompted me to look at Camus again, getting his complete works in French as a Christmas present, and reading two biographies of Camus, as well as several other books about him.

I’ve read about half of the first volume so far, and I very much like what Camus wrote. I like his thinking, and his style. Interestingly, he was said to have appreciated Henry James, along with Proust, Melville, and several other authors I like. He also, for a short time, had a dog named Kirk.

Back with Henry now, I’ll be continuing my reading of Camus over the coming months, interspersing the two (and, of course, other books as well, such as Robert B. Parker’s wonderful Spenser mysteries, which I’ve been reading lately). While James and Camus are quite different, there are actually some interesting similarities in the way they both worked with characters. Camus’ writing is more philosophically based, even if he never considered himself a philosopher, and it’s essential reading, in my opinion. If you haven’t read Camus, check out one of his books from your local library.

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This slim book, whose title was not the inspiration for the name of this web site, is described as a “companion to Henry James.” Auchincloss, who passed away last week, long admired James, as well as Edith Wharton (he edited a couple of volumes of Wharton for the Library of America). In this book, Auchincloss gives uncritical overviews of many of James’ works, paying particular attention to the later novels, but also discussing James’ notebooks, his theater, and his late American tour.

Dedicated to “Leon Edel, fiend and mentor,” this book has a decidedly Edelian feel. Written in 1972, James’ was more or less “owned” by Edel, the author of the first serious biography of Henry. I won’t go into this book in detail, but I will refer to it from time to time when I discuss Henry’s works. I would recommend that any serious fan of James grab a copy, especially because used copies are available from Amazon.com for just a few dollars. I doubt this book will ever be reprinted, unless, perhaps, the Library of America decides to published some of Auchincloss’ work.

The Washington Post is reporting that author Louis Auchincloss has died at age 92. I’ve never read his fiction, but he is the author of a slim book, Reading Henry James, which is a sort of reader’s guide to the fiction of James. It’s not very deep, but gives a nice overview of James’ fiction. (It’s not why I chose the name for this blog, in case you’re asking.)

I was planning on reviewing this book soon, as I got a used copy from an on-line bookseller. It’s been out of print for some time, but used copies seem to be widely available.

Oddly, much of Auchincloss’ work is out of print, including his fiction. He’s written dozens of books, and a quick search on Amazon shows only a few available.